The Healer
by LeaNicolaie
Summary: Vampires and hunters alike know him simply as the Healer. To Kuran Haruka and Juri, however, the Healer is also a trusted friend. If there is one person they could entrust their newly found son to, it would be him.
1. The Healer - Kaname

**The Healer - Kuran Kaname**

Kiryuu Zero knew something was wrong the moment he felt vampires on his grounds at eleven in the morning. Still, he kept his eyes on the mixture of various medicinal ingredients he was crushing to powder, the steady pace of his hands remaining unchanged. The latest batch of orders for the burn salve was on a tight schedule. His client needed to have this completed by tomorrow.

Reaching over to another small bowl set to the side on the table he was using, he took a pinch of the gold powder within and added it to the salve. It wasn't actual powdered gold, but just the color it happened to take after infusing it with his anti-vampire abilities via his blood. Thoroughly mixing it in, he took the large bowl off its stand and approached an even larger simmering pot. Carefully tipping the bowl over, he slowly poured the finished powder in, gently stirring it as he did, with the ladle that had been sitting in the pot.

It was when he was placing the lid on the pot to simmer for another half hour that the door chime rang.

"Zero-kun, it's our son."

They certainly knew how to grab his attention. Then again, nothing else would get them up at such an ungodly hour (even for humans – it was a fucking Saturday) if not their first ever baby boy.

Stepping into what was essentially his storefront, though technically his living room, Zero narrowed his eyes as they focused on the small bundle in the cradle of Kuran Haruka's arms. His face hardened with wariness, not expecting... well, whoever the child was, when they mentioned 'our son'. The vampire in Haruka's arms was a baby all right, but that wasn't all it was. It felt unnatural. And he didn't like unnatural things. They almost always meant trouble.

"That's not your son." He said.

Juri smiled softly. "He's ours for now."

"He's also bathed in the scent of the blood of your actual son." Zero baldly stated.

Haruka flinched, though he made visible effort to hold it in. "I...I did try to wash it all off, but you know how it is, with our blood..."

Zero's lips pursed. By now, they were confirming what he began to suspect after having seen the babe sleeping away in Haruka's arms.

Kuran Ayumu was dead. No more than a year and a half, and the boy was gone. Zero had been the one to help deliver the child, and he had held a soft spot for him ever since.

"Are you willing to tell me what happened?" He motioned for Haruka and Juri to sit on one of the couches.

"We know what happened conceptually." Juri said quietly, her movements slow and measured as she sat down. "But we weren't actually there for it when..." Her mouth trembled. "He was there and then...gone. We couldn't feel him."

"And we received this little one in his stead." Haruka gently tugged the blanket aside to show the baby's face. "We named him Kaname."

Zero made no move to have a closer look, and Haruka seemed to respect his decision, stepping back and finally taking a seat next to Juri.

"We knew we had to at least try, Zero-kun." Haruka said, his tone just as quiet as Juri's. "We couldn't leave him this way."

Giving a tight nod, Zero offered them tea and some baby biscuits for the – for Kaname to nibble on.

Returning with a tray ladled with a full teapot, three porcelain cups, and the biscuits, Zero also sat down on one of the arm chairs. Filling in the cups, his voice was low as he asked, "Was it Rido?"

One of Zero's mugs cracked, a chip tumbling forlornly next to it on the counter.

"Sorry, I'm so sorry." Juri fretted. "I can get you a new one."

"It's fine." Zero dismissed. "It was nearing its time, anyway."

"...I'm actually sorry because I'm not really sorry." Juri cautiously corrected.

Zero's eye twitched. "I know." He intoned. "How oblivious do you think I am?"

Haruka cracked a smile. "Just a little."

Zero sighed tiredly. "And Kaname – what do you need me to do for him?"

Suddenly, Juri and Haruka exchanged sheepish smiles, and Zero's wariness shot back up like a startled animal. What did they want?

"Well, first we wanted to make sure he was all right, of course. Then...well," Haruka's smile widened, "We wanted to make you his reliable, dependable uncle who he can go to in times of need!"

"Offer rejected." Zero said flatly.

"Zero-kun!" Haruka whined. "I know you don't like us, but you're the only one we can trust."

"It has nothing to do with liking or not liking you." Zero said. "That – Kaname isn't just a vampire."

"Ah." Juri raised her hand to her lips. "So you noticed. We should've known you would."

"What the hell is he?"

"You could say he was the beginning of it all."

Zero could see Haruka had chosen those exact words deliberately, and his mind recalled what his own mentor and parents had taught him in regards to Hunter-Vampire relations. That the beginning of it all had been none other than:

"Kuran Kaname." Zero said softly, his lilac eyes bright with realization. "He was woken out of his Sleep?" And by Rido no less. A rude awakening to be sure.

Haruka blinked in surprise before huffing a laugh. "Kaoru...he really did love to get his hands on everything, and Riku wasn't far off."

Kaoru was Zero's mentor, who had taught him everything he knew he could teach regarding medicine and what his parents, as hunters, couldn't. Riku, of course, was his father. Kaoru and his father had been like two peas in a pod, Zero and his mother were always left to keep a close eye on them to prevent them from pulling something stupid.

"Physical regression then." Zero observed. "Has he indicated any retention of his memories from his time as the Founder?"

"I can't say." Haruka, glanced down at the baby in his arms, his eyes kind. "We've only had him for two days. But I'm going to take a wild guess and say the volume of knowledge he has accumulated would be far too stressful for the mind of a baby. He might regain them gradually, but we'll have to see."

Zero nodded. Reaching for one of the teacups, he took a sip of hot ginger tea.

It was another couple of minutes before Haruka spoke again, "So will you? Take a look at him for us?"

"And look after him?" Juri added, her voice tender. Leaning forward, her big brown eyes were soulful as she continued, "By trust, we also mean, trusting you to keep him safe. We know... We know we can't give him the things he needs."

Closing his eyes, Zero steadily breathed out. The teacup made a slight clink as he set it down. "What a baby needs, vampire or human, is a family. He's got everything he needs with you two. A mother and father are more than he's ever had from what I've heard."

Haruka and Juri exchanged glances.

"Zero-kun," Juri started, "we're over three thousand years old." She said slowly, somehow under the impression Zero had forgotten how old they were. "And from what we can see, Kaname is currently as aware as any baby his physical age. We're not exactly...what I'm trying to say is, we don't really hold the proper perspective on certain things, and we don't want to influence Kaname in a negative way."

This was getting ridiculous. So they had come here essentially because they were having parental blues? At the age of three thousand, they should know better. "Regardless of how he is now, he's still a pureblood vampire." Zero said. "There are things he needs to know if he wants to live as long as he did before. Some things, he'll have to relearn. I can't teach him how to be a pureblood vampire." He spared a pitying glance at the baby. "Though I can understand where you're coming from. Who knows what the kid is going to turn out to be, with the two of you as his parents."

Haruka brightened. "You see! This is what we mean! So can you –?"

"But he will know that you love him." Zero bulldozed on, as if Haruka hadn't spoken at all. "For a lot of kids, that's usually all they need."

Juri sighed despondently. "I was hoping not to give you too much of a chance to speak."

Haruka nodded, full lips in a pout. "Who raised you to have such an unnecessary amount of sense, Zero-kun?"

Lips thinning determinedly, Juri clasped Zero's hands in her own. "You're going to be Kaname's honorary uncle, Zero-kun. Please say yes and be happy."

"Yes, yes." Haruka beamed. "What do humans like to use? Was it godfather? Can we use godfather, Juri? I think it sounds perfect!" He dipped his head and smacked a kiss on Kaname's cheek "Kaname's godfather Zero-kun," he pronounced it like an entirely new name. "Yes, it's perfect."

Zero didn't know why he bothered anymore. He supposed Haruka and Juri actually taking the time to visit him to tell him about...this, was their own form of courtesy. They could have simply shown up, dumped Kaname into his arms, and left without any sort of explanation. It was obvious they wanted him for something that involved Kaname, but if it really was limited to just what they had told him thus far, he would eat his left foot. Haruka and Juri were too set in their ways as purebloods to just push him into the role of babysitter. They wanted him to spend time with Kaname, and for more than just Kaname's protection.

"Do other vampires know they now have a Founder in their midst, who's now physically a baby?" He cut in.

Haruka and Juri went quiet and exchanged looks before bright, identical smiles lit their faces. "...No?" They chorused.

"That's a yes." Zero decided flatly.

"Well..." Haruka dragged the word out, "They sort of do, and sort of don't."

"Some are aware, and some not." Juri clarified. "The purebloods, of course, and some of the older members of the Council." She giggled softly as she poked Kaname's round cheek. "We're honestly not too sure of the rest of the nobles."

"I'm sure those who already know would try to keep it hidden, but," Haruka shrugged.

But word would spread.

"There's only so much I can do." Zero admitted. The wards around his home weren't impenetrable, and if someone tried hard enough (though even a veteran hunter would take years, if not decades, to unravel Zero's work) it _was_ possible to find an opening.

"Zero-kun, of course Kaname's safety is a priority, but it's because we also want him to be with someone other than, well, purebloods, nobles, and lower level vampires." Juri stated. "You're very special to us, to Haruka and I, and we want to share that with Kaname. And he's going to love you. That's a given." She grinned.

"And there are very few things we don't doubt." Haruka nodded firmly. "Very, very few."

Zero also supposed when someone was over three thousand years old, shame literally was a thing of the past. They said the most embarrassing shit as if they were just mentioning the weather.

"I'll check Kaname over, but after that you're getting the hell out." He said tiredly.

Haruka couldn't have shoved Kaname into his arms fast enough. "Thank you Zero-kun! You have no idea what this means to us!"

"Shut it, you're starting to scare him." Zero groused, carefully adjusting Kaname against his chest. He then muttered under his breath, "As if either of you would have taken no for an answer."

"Of course not, no," Juri said cheerily, "But it's always good to know you agree."

Zero tuned them both out as he took a good long look at Kaname. The baby was as young as he suspected, physically about a year old. If he hadn't been sleeping before, and now awake and intent on nibbling on the biscuits, he guessed the baby would be tottering around on his own. Gently undoing the silk bow that kept the soft, downy blanket secured, Zero felt along Kaname's small chest for his heartbeat and his respiratory rhythm.

Both were steady and, for a baby his physical age, relaxed and content. Despite getting handed over to a stranger, Kaname was completely unfazed. The half eaten biscuit in his tiny hands held all of his attention. For a baby reputed to be around eight thousand years old, he was as healthy as a pureblood vampire could get.

Zero waved his hand in Kaname's field of vision, trying to get his eyes focused on something other than the biscuit. Once Kaname looked up, he slowly moved his hand from side to side and up and down, watching the way Kaname's eyes avidly followed his movements. He then snapped his fingers and felt Kaname startle.

Yeah, the kid was good to go. If Kaname were human, he would be more extensive with his check up, but as Kaname was a pureblood vampire, there wasn't much that could go wrong. As long as the major organs he needed for survival were well in working order, Zero had no complaints.

"He's fine. No irregularities on eating habits, sleeping cycles, or his five senses?"

"None!" Haruka chirped.

Zero nodded. "Then take him back and get out. I have work."

And so ended his introduction to the newest member of the Kuran household.

. . .

A/N: Yup, a new one. Just putting up the one-shots I've accumulated like an old cat lady who's also a hoarder. Hope this one was enjoyable!


	2. The Healer - Kaname 1 Year 6 Months

**The Healer - Kaname 1 Year 6 Months**

Haruka and Juri had decided to count the day their Founder regressed to a babe as the boy's birthday. After Zero had told them Kaname was approximately a year old physically, they also decided his next birthday would count as his second.

They also decided dumping the poor babe in Zero's labs at every other opportunity was a marvelous idea. Zero had thus far kept missing the chance to tell them otherwise. With very descriptive words. He doubted he would find the chance any time soon. Thankfully, they always left a bag of baby supplies whenever appointing him as an impromptu baby-sitter, so at least Zero wasn't completely unprepared.

Another small mercy was his prior experience with Ayumu. No need to fumble around trying to figure out how to place a diaper on a wiggly baby. Haruka had shown some sympathy in that area, but Juri had laughed herself sick watching him chase after an enthusiastic Ayumu who had been under the impression they were playing a game of tag. But then again, not even Haruka had been able to hold in a snicker when Zero had twitched a brow and sharply called out, "At least let me wipe your ass first before you go gallivanting off buck naked!"

Not all of his memories of Ayumu were bright and rose colored, no. Although, gazing down at Kaname currently chewing on one of his toys, he doubted when it came to this particular baby boy, he would have needed the experience he'd gained with Ayumu to find his way around. Kaname simply wasn't a very wiggly baby. He generally stayed still when having to be changed or fed. Nor did he have too many likes or dislikes when it came to food. It was very rare for him to scrunch his face and turn away in obvious rejection of whatever he was being made to eat. For which Zero was extremely thankful.

Haruka and Juri never left Kaname with Zero for long, usually back to pick him up within a few hours. Zero never asked what they did while he played baby-sitter, and they never offered an answer. If they wanted to talk about it, they would, and if they hadn't, it was either not the right time, or Zero just didn't need to know. Dealing with purebloods was a pain, but he didn't doubt _being _a pureblood was even worse. If they felt he shouldn't be involved in whatever they were cooking up (and they _were_ cooking up something – he could tell that much) then he could be mature enough to mind his own business.

(If a large part of it also had to do with not wanting to get pulled into something troublesome once again, he conveniently ignored it.)

What did worry him was a single name they dropped from time to time in conversation. Ichijou Asato. Even Zero knew who the head of the Vampire Council was and how much distrust Haruka and Juri harbored for the largely useless organization. The scared little shit was planning something too, and it would be downright moronic to think pureblood vampires wouldn't be a part of that plan. In a shady, 'I have terrible things in store for you' way of course.

"Ro!"

It looked liked someone was done playing (chewing) on his current toy and wanted another. Eyes still on the research material he had been reading, Zero stuck his free hand into the supply bag and felt around for what vaguely seemed like a toy. Pulling out a stuffed animal that kind of resembled a polar bear, he leaned down to hand it to Kaname, who let out an awed coo before shoving the right paw into his mouth.

Pausing for a moment to stare at Kaname chewing, Zero then slowly put the book down before gently taking the bear away. Kaname immediately let out a distressed sound, but Zero picked him up to place him at his hip and ran a hand over his downy soft hair.

"You're not just bored. You're hungry." Zero murmured, heading to the kitchen.

Mood considerably lightened at being held, Kaname perked up and chirped, "Hungry!"

"Yes. You're getting a snack."

"Snack."

"And you're eating on your own this time. Let's see how clean you can stay."

Warming up some honeyed apples he'd made the other day, he then pulled out a small bowl and plastic spoon. He remembered how ecstatic Haruka and Juri had been when Ayumu had learned to pick up a spoon and feed himself. When Kaname had grown old enough to do the same, their reactions weren't any less enthusiastic. Depending on Kaname's mood, Zero would either still feed him himself, or let him give it a go.

There were times Kaname would simply stare at the food in front of him before turning forlorn eyes at Zero, waiting for something. It was only when Zero had picked up the spoon to bring the food to his mouth that Kaname had deigned to eat. So the boy had his moments. He was fine with being independent at times, but wanted to feel cared for at others. Zero had mentioned the incident when it first came up, to Haruka and Juri, but they had only found it squeal-worthy. Their high tension wouldn't have been out of place at an intense rock concert. And to top it off, had been completely inexplicable.

Zero did find it a bit strange Kaname hardly went out of his way to tell him he was hungry when he was able to speak and understand more than a few words, but didn't think too deeply on it. It was probably simply due to someone noticing before Kaname felt the need to tell anyone. Now that he was on a somewhat consistent schedule, it was easier to predict when he might start to get hungry or sleepy.

Placing the mostly mushed apples in front of Kaname as well as a sippy cup with some fruit juice, he sat back and let the boy dig in while he returned to the research paper.

"Ro!"

Oh dear. "What is it?"

"Snack!"

"Yes it is. Specifically, apples with honey."

"Ro hungry?" Kaname stuck out his spoon.

There was a brief moment of silence wherein the only sound was of the apples on Kaname's spoon ever so slowly falling off to land with a quiet, wet splat on the table.

"...No, not really." Zero finally managed to say, and then added, "they're for you to eat, Kaname. I'll have my own snack."

"Ro. Snack." Kaname tried to give him another serving.

"Yes. My own, not yours." Jesus, Juri would have his head on a pike if he took Kaname's food, whether willingly or no. Haruka would of course, watch on with a wide smile like the asshole he sometimes was.

"Ro?"

"Eat your snack, Kaname." Zero said firmly, shaking his head once to show he didn't want or like baby food.

If the boy had puppy ears, they would have flopped over, flat on his head. Zero only let out a fondly exasperated sigh and grabbed a banana out of the fruit bowl. Peeling it and taking a bite, he pretended not to notice avid garnet eyes watching as he ate, his own eyes focused on the paper.

Apparently satisfied to see him consuming some form of food, Kaname went back to his apples with a happy hum.

...Developing mother hen tendencies at 18 months? Zero held in a shudder. Definitely like parent like child. Memories of when Haruka and Juri ran after him with food containers flashed across his mind and he hastily swiped them away. He didn't deny his lab work could get a bit (a _bit!_) too engaging which made him neglectful of his own eating cycle, but it wasn't that often, and he was a vampire besides, ex-human or not. He used blood tablets like humans did energy drinks. Pop a few, and he was good to go for another half a day, something of the like. A few missed meals wasn't all that detrimental.

It was only too easy to imagine Haruka and Juri's reaction to that, though, and Zero never said it aloud.

"Your parents will be here soon, now that I think about it. We need to get their snacks ready too." Reluctantly placing the paper down, Zero stood up and gathered ingredients necessary for a batch of cupcakes.

Kaname loved to place the garnish on top, so Zero usually let him place pieces of fruit on the icing. Haruka and Juri were always plenty delighted to stuff their face with sweets, and even more so when knowing Kaname had a hand in making them.

. . .

"Zero-kun! Zero-kun! Look!"

"What?"

A book was then shoved in his face. Leaning back to get some distance, he found it wasn't really a book in the way he'd assumed, but a scrapbook.

The cover, decorated in delicate lace, read 'Kaname' with a small picture of said baby right below the title. Probably taken only a few months after Haruka and Juri had decided to raise him, the baby was asleep and wrapped in a cream colored blanket.

"Humans come up with some amazing things! We knew of albums, of course, but not in this way." Juri gushed.

Flipping the scrapbook open, she pointed to a picture. "It's nice to keep a record, but I always found it sad we couldn't remember what was happening in most of them anymore, it was so long ago. But if we can keep pictures this way, we can also add descriptions and comments and other little details that add to the memory." She ran one of her long fingers across a square cut piece of cloth Zero guessed must have come from one of Kaname's blankets.

"We only have a few pictures of Ayumu, but we can start keeping more for Kaname," Haruka smiled brightly. "It will be interesting to see how he grows and changes throughout the books we can keep of him."

Right. Well, this was nice and all, but Zero didn't really see the point of introducing the book to him. And no, he didn't think informing them of how _old _the concept of scrapbooks were, was a good idea either. Zero had stopped counting his own age at around three hundred, and he'd been aware of scrapbooks since before he was turned. Hard as it was to imagine, Haruka and Juri were honestly _that _out of the loop.

Wary, he slowly raised a brow and asked, "What do you want?"

Eyes shining, Juri whipped out a camera from god knows where and hung it around his neck. It wasn't one of those dinky small cameras either, but a legit heavy one with replaceable lenses that he had no idea how to use. He should've expected this when the scrapbook had come out, but seriously?

"You want pictures of him while he's here?" It was rhetorical, but needed to be asked.

"Yes please! Anything is fine, as long as Kaname is in it! He must show sides of him we never get to see when he's with you."

"...I doubt that." Highly.

"Not from all the stories you tell us. He hardly does the same things you mention when he's with _us_. It's really quite unfair. " Haruka sulked. "So we demand you take record of those and tell us about them so we can add them to our book." He said firmly.

As if. "I'm declining."

"We can bribe you."

"With what?" Zero scoffed.

"Samples of our blood!" Haruka said cheerily.

Zero was rendered speechless. When he finally found his voice, it was to utter, "I think that must be the stupidest thing I've heard you say – and you've said a lot of stupid shit over the years."

Juri giggled. "He's just being silly. Our real bribe is a collection of volumes written by that vampire scientist you've found so fascinating. They're some of the oldest books he's published, so they're a little on the delicate side, but you'll still be able to read them."

Now that was more like it. "Done."

Haruka pouted, outraged, while Juri let out another giggle.

(It would forever be a secret between the two of them – the offer of blood samples had actually been serious.)

. . .

A/N: Another one from the pile. Apologies in advance - this series will probably jump around from one point in time to another. I'll indicate Kaname's age in the chapter title, but wanted to give a heads up as well.

A huge thanks to all who reviewed the last chapter! *hugs and kisses*


	3. The Healer - Kaname 3 Years 7 Months

**The Healer - Kaname at 3 Years 7 Months**

"Kaname, come away from the shelf." Zero said evenly, eyes never leaving the anti-venom he was mixing.

He felt the young vampire pause and slowly step away from the shelf containing his medicinal ingredients, neatly labeled in order of most used to least. Half way down the tall shelf was turned into small drawers that were all locked and could only be opened via the custom-made key Zero hung securely around his neck. Even with the key, there were multiple ways of opening the drawers, and each drawer needed a different method.

The things he did to accommodate having a small child around...

Thankfully, Kaname was very bright on top of being well behaved and rather quiet. Zero generally only had to warn him once, and Kaname never repeated an offense a second time.

But for whatever reason, Kaname just seemed to find his work lab a curious place and, while still cautious, liked to see, touch, and examine everything he laid his eyes on. Zero's numerous warnings did nothing at all in this instance to deter his exploration of the lab in its entirety.

"Not that jar, Kaname." Zero said, bringing a test tube up to the light as he lightly shook the liquid inside.

"What's inside?" Kaname asked softly.

"It's a lotion for vampire induced injuries." Zero answered blandly. "It contains anti-vampire properties, so don't touch it."

"It smells like you."

Zero let out a contemplative hum, pouring the liquid he deemed satisfactory into a small glass vial. It wasn't unexpected, but Kaname's growth as a pureblood vampire did seem a little...fast, compared to what he'd heard. Kaname could already differentiate between blood types by scent and determine who it belonged to. The boy was, what, three and a half? Probably a bit older, Zero corrected himself, considering Haruka was raving about what kind of birthday party he should have for Kaname's fourth birthday that was coming up in the next few months.

So, almost four, then. Still somewhat early to have his senses developing at his age.

"It has my blood in it." Zero explained.

"Oh, that's why." Kaname nodded to himself. He was silent for a moment, but turned to Zero and asked, "Do a lot of hunters use it?"

Zero shrugged. "Some do, some don't." They all knew his anti-vampire solutions contained a part of himself, whether it was his blood, hair, or nails. Some hunters couldn't give less of a shit about it, and others wouldn't go near it with a ten foot pole. There was also the factor of Zero's strange genetics, what with him being an ex-human nearing his 300th year, but still clearly in charge of his mental faculties and youthful appearance. Those who didn't know any better would claim Zero couldn't be older than his mid or late twenties. Most hunters, when learning of his background, had a hard time trusting anything he made or recommended. What kind of hunter would so easily trust a vampire, after all, no matter if they had been human once.

"They use your blood to heal?"

"Technically, yes."

"That's nice." Kaname smiled. "Father told me our blood is very dangerous."

Hearing the wistful tone in Kaname's voice, Zero paused in sealing the glass vials. Setting them down, he went on one knee to Kaname's height and calmly responded, "Yes it can be. But not all the time." Holding his arm out, he unbuttoned his sleeve and pulled it up to reveal the inner side of his forearm. He traced a line down the middle with his finger and said, "I had a long gash here once, and your mother healed it, with her blood." Catching Kaname's large, wine red eyes with his own, he continued, "It didn't hurt and healed really quickly. There's not even a scar left."

Kaname blinked down at his arm and slowly moved to poke at the indicated spot with his tiny finger. "Oh..." He whispered.

"You just have to be careful when using your blood for things." Zero said, and stood back up, ruffling Kaname's hair. "Be very clear about what you want to use it for, and if there is another person involved, make sure it's someone you trust not to misuse your blood for shi-uh, bad reasons." He quickly rephrased.

Eyes wide, Kaname nodded. "Yes, Zero." Then his lips quirked in a small smile as he whispered, "You almost said a bad word."

Shaking his head, Zero placed his finger to his lips in the universal sign for silence. "Don't tell your parents. They'll just laugh at me for a very long time."

Giggling, Kaname mimicked Zero's actions. "I won't tell." He promised behind his finger.

Zero huffed out a soft laugh and sent him a fond smile. Kaname was a cute kid, whatever his origins.

Checking the large pink clock on the wall, he set about cleaning up his current work, sealing away any of his unfinished solutions in their appropriate containers. Once he was done, he turned and picked Kaname up to rest against his hip. Patting one of his pockets for the door key, he said, "It's time for snacks. What do you want today, pancakes?"

As he closed the door behind him and locked it, Kaname chirped out, "Cupcakes with lemon icing please!"

"Cupcakes with lemon icing," Zero confirmed, "Let's see what we can do."

. . .

Haruka and Juri came to pick up Kaname just as the cupcakes were done, as always. Zero didn't know how they were pulling it off, but they somehow managed to make it in time just as the snack of the day was ready to eat.

"Wow! Kaname, did you make this?" Juri gushed. She picked one of the cupcakes and happily bit into it, licking the icing that stuck to the top of her lip.

"They taste amazing." Haruka was already onto his second cupcake.

Zero sighed. "You two... Let Kaname have one before you pig yourselves out." He took a few of the bite-sized cupcakes and set them on a separate plate before placing it in front of Kaname.

"That's why we didn't touch the smaller ones!" Juri pouted, playfully outraged at the thought of her eating her son's share.

Kaname simply smiled at all three of them before popping one of the cupcakes into his mouth. Chewing and swallowing, he beamed, "It's delicious. We can make more next time, right Zero?"

"As long as I'll have my helper." Zero agreed.

"Thank you Zero." Kaname happily popped another bite-sized cupcake into his mouth.

Watching him eat, Haruka and Juri looked like they were inwardly squealing like teenaged girls with their first crush. Letting out a slight smile, he quietly walked across the room to pick up a camera and discreetly took a shot of the whole scene. And, just as Juri reached out to swipe at the bit of icing on Kaname's cheek, he quickly took another.

The pictures would be added to the album he had tucked away in his room. It would be part of the Year Three collections to give to Haruka and Juri on Valentine's Day, their favorite holiday. (They refused to accept gifts of any kind – at least from Zero – on any other day.)

There wasn't a lot Zero could offer in terms of an actual enjoyable gift, and this was just about the only thing he knew they absolutely loved. Once the second child arrived, most likely in the next month or so, Zero would be doing the same for him or her.

His eyes glancing down at Juri's round belly, he briefly wondered what their daughter would be like. First with Ayumu, and now with Kaname, the Kuran couple seemed to be blessed with fairly even tempered babies. Ayumu slept well and ate well, and hardly had reasons to be unhappy. Curious coos and delighted giggles were what made up most of Ayumu's expressions. Zero had started to suspect the boy would grow to have a bit of a mischievous streak, not unlike Haruka.

And Kaname – actually wasn't much different as a babe to how he was now. Slept well and ate well, similar to Ayumu, but typically very quiet. Terribly curious, but not prone to as many smiles or laughter as Ayumu. Zero had also pegged Kaname as somewhat of an analyst early on, with the way he always thoroughly tried to study and examine what kind of toy he had been given to play with. Ayumu had had a shorter attention span and was quicker to reach for another item to amuse himself.

This time, with a girl on the way, it would be interesting to see who she took after, Haruka or Juri. As the younger sibling, maybe she would be fussier, find it easier to ask others for help instead of trying to solve everything on her own, be a little more carefree. Zero never had siblings, he was hardly the go-to for anything of the sort, but having met and seen others with their siblings, he'd noticed some general trends.

Regardless of how she turned out, however, she would never have to worry for a thing with Kaname as her older brother. Haruka, Juri, and Zero all agreed on that one certain point. They felt some measure of comfort, knowing the soon to be arriving baby and Kaname would be able to get along.

"Kaname, I know it makes you sad, but we have to go soon." Juri gently reminded. "You want to go pick up your things now?" She coaxed.

"Yes, Mother." Kaname hopped off the stool and headed straight for the small back pack hanging off of one of the coat racks.

"Zero-kun, thank you for having him over again. He loves it here." Juri smiled. "I think he would rather live here if he could."

Zero shook his head. "Kaname has strange tastes in baby-sitters." It wasn't as though Zero did anything special whenever Kaname stayed over. He still spent hours on his research and experimented in his labs, he didn't have television for entertainment, nor any children's books to read, and not many toys for Kaname to play with. In fact, hardly any changes were made to his daily routine when Kaname was over, except for the fact that, there was the added factor of Kaname being there and perhaps a few hours for snack time.

"He adores you." Haruka said smugly. "You're good with him."

"A lucky coincidence," Zero dismissed. "Kaname's not an idiot and knows how to entertain himself." Any other child would have been crawling the walls out of sheer boredom in ten minutes.

"So you say..." Juri sang. Sending Zero a mischievous smirk, she called, "Kaname, you want to say bye to Zero?"

She had hardly finished her question before a vehement, "Yes!" was heard and Kaname rushed in, his back pack secured around his shoulders.

He stopped in front of Zero and reached up. "Zero, you must bend down." He said solemnly.

Zero immediately crouched down and waited for what he knew was coming. Little hands settled on his shoulders before a soft touch of lips met his cheek.

"See you soon, Zero." Kaname said, making it sound like a promise.

"Soon," Zero nodded, and stood back up before ruffling Kaname's hair.

He pointedly ignored Juri's knowing smile and Haruka's triumphant grin. God knew why Kaname didn't seem to mind him, but that didn't mean Zero was 'good' with children. Kaname was the exception, not the norm.

. . .

A/N: And yet another one from the pile. Next up will probably include baby!Yuuki as well as toddler!Kaname.

Once again, major thanks to all who reviewed for this series thus far! If this site allowed for emojis this little section would be filled with the ones brimming with tears of joy XD May all your days be full of cute baby!Kanames offering you mushed baby food and cupcakes.


	4. The Healer - Kaname 4 Years 9 Months

**The Healer - Kaname 4 Years 9 Months (Yuuki 13 Months)**

. . .

He should have expected it. Really, he should have, but the first time it happened, he was genuinely surprised.

Kaname had sort of, kind of thrown a tantrum. It would be mild compared to a majority of other children, but considering this was Kaname, it was definitely in the tantrum category.

He had been letting Yuuki amuse herself with his fingers and half a biscuit when Kaname requested for their usual snack time. Obviously, Zero was preoccupied, and he didn't think it'd be a big deal to spend a little more time entertaining Yuuki, who was currently grabbing and pulling his fingers as though she'd never seen anything so fascinating.

So he told Kaname to wait.

And Kaname more or less showed him he was _not_ having it. There were no words, his expression had been enough, and Zero could probably feel an entire novel's worth of emotional turmoil in that one look. That, and the box of biscuits on the table had promptly turned to ash. Giving Kaname a nod, he picked up Yuuki and headed to the kitchen.

"I think we have enough for waffles this time, what do you think?" He said absently, opening the fridge. "You have your pick of the berries – red, blue, and black." He tilted his head and hummed. "We have raspberries too."

When all he got was silence, he looked over just in time to see Kaname's face crumple, a wet sheen making his wide eyes shine like garnets.

"I'm sorry." He whispered.

Zero stared for a moment and then sighed inwardly. He closed the fridge and set Yuuki on the highchair before approaching Kaname.

"C'mere," he said softly.

"Zero..."

"Come on," he repeated, and gently took Kaname's hand in his own and tugged him closer.

As soon as thin delicate arms went around his neck, he stood up, placing Kaname at his hip. "There's nothing to apologize for. And whatever you're hurting your head over, things are going to be fine." Zero said calmly. "So we're going to have waffles, and you're going to give me and Yuuki a smile."

Kaname took his time in responding. "Must I?" He finally whispered.

"Yes," Zero said decisively, "It'll make you feel better." He wandered over to the fridge again and opened it to look inside. He started with taking out a carton of eggs and handing it to Kaname to hold. Next was a jar of apple sauce, milk, and a small box of strawberries. He'd leave out the other fruits for now until the waffles were done.

"And Kaname," he continued, almost like an afterthought, half of his mind on getting the rest of the ingredients from the cabinets, "You're a good older brother to Yuuki. Anyone can see that. You've taken very good care of her."

Feeling Kaname tuck his face against his shoulder, he carefully relieved Kaname of the ingredients from the fridge to rest on the counter amongst everything else he'd gathered. Once his other hand was free, he patted the boy's head and ruffled his hair. Sweeping aside a few locks off of Kaname's forehead, he placed a kiss at his temple before letting him sit on the counter.

He used to think tantrums weren't anything to be bothered about – just another annoying trait all kids seemed to share. And he didn't doubt some were probably just that simple, he'd seen mothers sternly scolding their kids even as they bawled their little eyes out, not an ounce of sympathy in their voice. But some, like the one Kaname just had, weren't so easily taken care of, and he wondered how to deal with it.

Kaname had thoughts and ideas of his own, and as articulate as he tended to be, he was developing into a very reflective, private boy. Add to that how sensitive he was to everything around him, and Zero could only begin to guess what might be dancing around in his head.

Yuuki was a big part of it, if not at the core of everything, Zero surmised. He still remembered Kaname's face the first time he'd laid eyes on Yuuki – like he'd finally found a piece of himself that he never knew he was looking for. Yuuki had quickly become the center of his attention. If she twitched a finger, Kaname would know. Zero suspected his reaction to Yuuki was somehow related to his life as the Founder. Kaname's attachment couldn't be explained away with something as generic as brotherly affection.

Hearing soft laughter at his side, he blinked and turned to see Kaname trying to hide his smile behind his hand. "Hm?"

"Thank you, Zero. But that's not why I was upset."

"Oh? Are you willing to tell me?" He mildly asked. Either his thoughts were just that apparent, or Kaname was that perceptive. Both were equally possible.

Cracking the eggs, he separated the whites and beat the yolk in a large bowl. He let Kaname measure out the flour, baking powder, and sugar, letting him add them to the eggs. He dumped in the rest to mix until smooth, smiling amusedly as Kaname watched with wide, interested eyes.

"I'll beat the egg whites, and you can add in the last spice you love so much." Zero said.

Kaname perked up at the request and eagerly, but carefully measured out the vanilla extract before pouring it in.

"You want to mix it in?" Zero nodded towards the mixer in the bowl even as he turned the egg whites to soft white fluff.

Kaname hummed as he mixed, keeping a steady pace, knowing if he went too fast, there was a greater chance of him spilling the batter.

"I was upset because I like having our snack time." He suddenly said. "It's my time with you, and it's special. Not even Yuuki is allowed to intrude on this time."

What a cute kid. Zero shook his head and smirked. Leaning over, he pressed a quick kiss to Kaname's forehead and slid the batter out of Kaname's hands, closer to himself, to gently fold in the egg whites.

Kaname wasn't completely lying through his teeth, but Zero also knew better than to take that at face value. If Kaname was comfortable with letting out only a fraction of the truth, Zero would simply wait until Kaname was willing to part with a little more of that big brain of his.

"Why don't you start washing the rest of the berries? The waffles will be ready soon." All they had to do was pour the batter into the waffle maker.

. . .

**O.M.A.K.E.**

Just as Zero was done pouring the syrup over the waffles, topped with whipped cream and fruits, the doorbell rang. He'd stopped answering the door for Haruka and Juri years ago, and they had long since stopped waiting. Hearing them invite themselves in, he held in a sigh and set a plate in front of Kaname.

"Zero-kun, Zero-kun! Look what we've got!" They burst in, faces flushed from the cold, holding up a large bag.

With their inherent pureblood speed, they unwrapped what turned out to be handmade food a la Juri, decorating the table with dish after dish, turning the afternoon into a veritable feast.

"What in the world prompted you to make this much food?" Usually they were the ones shamelessly pigging out on the desserts he made.

There was a moment of silence in which Haruka and Juri stared at each other in exaggerated shock and dismay before turning back to him simultaneously, and shouting, "Why, because it's your birthday of course!"

At that, both Zero and Kaname went a little wide eyed before blinking.

"What?" Really? Zero tilted his head.

"Yes!" Juri pouted, seeing his confusion. "We figured you wouldn't appreciate us doing this every year, so we decided to do it at fifty year intervals. You're now three-hundred and fifty years old!"

He had sort of guessed his age was either close to three hundred (like, two-ninety-something) or a little over that (maybe three-twenty-something) - it got hazy sometimes, admittedly - but he would never have come up with three-fifty. Had it really been that long?

Juri just sighed while Haruka chuckled and said, "I knew it."

"Mother? Father?" Kaname spoke up for the first time since the arrival of Haruka and Juri. "Why didn't you tell me it was Zero's birthday? I want to give him a gift as well."

At how utterly forlorn his voice sounded, Haruka and Juri smiled sheepishly and quickly replied, "We wanted it to be a surprise!"

"Even to me?" Kaname asked, eyes huge on his little face.

"...Well, yes." Haruka was the one to finally answer, flustered. Zero mentally gave him a pat to the back for being honest.

Juri clutched at her chest, expression torn. "Oh Kaname... I'm terribly sorry, we both are! We should have told you, but - we were just so excited to be able to celebrate Zero-kun's birthday, and - and we've been planning this for fifty years," she trailed off with a sniffle. "Please understand we didn't mean to hurt you. But we're sorry that we did." Her eyes brightening, she tried to put more cheer into her tone as she added, "And now you can plan the next party with us!"

Zero snorted. "Stop dragging him into your ridiculous shenanigans."

Haruka sniggered. "Shenanigans? Zero-kun you're really starting to sound like an old man."

"I _am_ an old man."

"_Not_ as a vamp...oh wait," Haruka paused in the middle of his sing-song tone, looking guilty.

There was a moment of silence.

"_Haruka_." Juri stated. A name was worth a thousand words, in this case.

Smirking, Zero shook his head, no offense taken. "That's what I said."

Even for a level B, three-hundred and fifty was a considerable amount of years. However unique Zero's situation was as a level D, he definitely couldn't be considered young any longer.

"You'll always be a baby to us, though!" Haruka smiled.

"_Everyone _is a baby to you." Zero raised his brow.

Giggling behind her hand, Juri managed, "Oh Zero-kun, he means you'll always be the son-slash-nephew we never knew we wanted."

Ah, _that_ kind of baby. And what was he supposed to say to that? Thank you?

"You've been waiting for a chance to say that for the last fifty years, haven't you?"

"Aw, Zero-kun, you know me so well!" Haruka pretended to wipe a tear from his right eye.

"Both of you, stop monkeying around and let's eat!" A little jingle ran through the air as Juri pulled a tiny bell from who knew where.

"I'm not going to have leftovers filling my fridge, so every single one of these plates better be spotless by the time you leave."

After they had all settled on a seat, Kaname quietly requested, but not really, "Zero, you must let me plan your next birthday party. I want to give you a proper gift. Like mother and father."

And suddenly he had all eyes on him. Again. All of them big and brown with an ominous hint of wine red that said they were going to do whatever they liked regardless of his say so, but they were being polite by letting him know his opinions were meaningless in the face of their determination. Typical.

Jaw twitching, Zero sent Haruka and Juri a glare.

"_Fine._"

A pause. Then, "Woot!" Two pairs of hands flew up to the ceiling.

"Did you hear that, Haruka? We got permission!"

"Yes, yes we did, Juri!"

"Thank you, Zero."

Zero just held in the urge to plant his face into the bowl of soup in front of him. He was already regretting it, and would continue to regret it as long as he lived.

(He never doubted Haruka, Juri, Kaname, and Yuuki would live decades, centuries, perhaps another couple of thousand years, past his last day on earth.)

It would be another ten minutes before any of them realized the baby that should have been sitting in her highchair was awfully quiet - an lo and behold, they would find it empty, devoid of life, and the tiny girl that should have been resting there crawling on the floor instead, just about to stuff a handful of what appeared to be flour into her mouth.

. . .

A/N: Wow, time flies. Didn't realize how long it's been.

Thanks so, so much again to all of you who have favorited and reviewed this story! *trails of hearts and cookies here* May all of your days be filled with Haruka and Juri and Kaname throwing you parties out of nowhere!


	5. The Healer - Kaname 5 Years 1 Month

**The Healer - Kaname 5 Years 1 Month** **(Yuuki 17 Months)**

. . .

Zero knew things must have really started to snowball when Haruka and Juri dragged a nervous Cross Kaien into his house one disgustingly fine day. Well, he could tell the practical side to the sudden visit, which was to treat Cross' obvious injuries, but the man must have been hurt before, and much worse than this in his career as a hunter, and Zero had never seen him stop by his little corner of the world, so it couldn't have been just that.

And while he tried not to stick his neck into anything that even smelt faintly troublesome by his standards, he didn't miss the occasional dropping of names - Ichijou Asato, Rido, the current head of the HA who's name Zero could recognize if he heard, but could never really remember, and this man, Cross Kaien.

Everyone else on that list had a reasonable connection to Haruka and Juri, but Cross had been new. Well-known enough to have a completely unimaginative field name, Cross was still a ruthless killer to any and all vampires alike, as well as a huge hater. If Zero claimed to be totally uninterested in how they had come into contact with one another, it would be a lie. Not that he would ever let his curiosity gain the better of him.

"Do I want to know why you brought over the most infamous hunter of this generation to my little hideout?"

"Probably not, but we wanted to anyway," Haruka said cheerily.

Refraining from rolling his eyes because that would be ridiculous, Zero put his test tube down and took a moment to study Cross. There was a deep shade of exhaustion to the man's face on top of the shifty nervousness that flattered him not at all. He had either not slept in days or had a long string of nights with only a few hours of rest. Judging by the bags under his eyes, Zero betted on the latter. Here was a man who had been unhappy for a very long time.

His mentor would've had a field day with this one.

"What do you want me to do with him?" Zero was already reaching for some gauze and disinfectant. "And if he has rabies you better tell me now, or I'll make sure only Kaname can come in here."

"No, he's perfectly healthy. Look how he glows!" Juri patted the poor man's arm.

Kind of hoping Cross would make a run for it while treating him, Zero had no such luck. Even as the disinfectant must have stung a fair degree, Cross sat still as the mug on his nightstand. He wasn't outwardly enjoying it, but Zero wouldn't have known if he was breathing if not for the steady pulse at his neck. Slapping on a few bandages, he declared his work to be done and strode out of the living room to get more tea. And brownies, mainly for Haruka and Juri, who were always ready to eat.

"So, now what?" He reiterated, once he was back with a tray full of refreshments. They had yet to elaborate on their sudden visit.

"He sort of promised his life to us, so we can do what we want with him." Haruka said, reaching for a brownie.

Zero nearly spat a mouthful of tea all over his cherry wood table. _What?_

He gently, _gently_ placed his tea mug back down. "What the hell have you two done now?"

"Nothing!"

"We just made some very logical suggestions."

"And those logical suggestions somehow ended up with someone promising his entire life to you?" Because that was so logical.

"He was in a very confused state."

"Still looks like it," Zero said, eyes flat.

"It's a lot better than before, trust me." Haruka nodded sagely. The brownie crumb stuck to the side of his mouth ruined any seriousness he was trying to muster.

Zero shot him a suspicious glance.

Finally, their subject of discussion spoke up, irritated, "I'm right here. And I'm not confused. I never was."

Now Zero turned suspicious eyes to Cross, as did Haruka and Juri, though their eyes also contained a bit of pity. Which only worked to annoy Cross further. Understandably.

"I'm not!" He denied.

"Ah, the stubbornness of youth," Haruka said airily, waving his hand dismissively.

"Age matters not at all when it comes to stubbornness," Zero muttered, "You're a prime example."

"No I'm not!" Haruka denied. Then realized who he sounded like, down to the exact tone, and pouted. Juri giggled.

Holding in a sigh Zero tried to keep them on track, "So? You only got to the part where you tricked him into signing his death warrant."

"He agreed to help us build a school for both humans and vampires!" Juri clapped her hands like an excited toddler.

...Okay? Zero took a careful sip of his tea and raised a brow. What in the world did that have anything to do with him?

"He's going to be spending a lot of time with us," Juri continued, trying to hint at something. To what, Zero still had no clue. "And, well, maybe we can be friends?"

"Since he's kind of a new friend, we wanted to introduce him to you!" Haruka added.

Ah. Zero sort of had an inkling this might be their attempt at getting him someone to talk to. Like a pair of worried parents who had a hermit crab for a son. Granted, a majority of the people he knew were either dead or dying, but, "You can take him and step outside."

It was also true he didn't really have time for investing in new relationships, and even if he did, it wouldn't be with a two-hundred-something year old man who spoke and acted like an angsty teenager going through an existential crisis. What did they think he was, a therapist with an unlimited amount of shining magical cures he could just whip out of his ass for the needy and impaired?

"He'll be good! He just needs some TLC!"

"And I collect clowns for a living. Take your new hobby with you and don't bring him back." Pouring another cup of tea, he stood up and headed for his labs.

Just as he reached the door, "Zero-kun, he tried to cut Juri down when she was pregnant with Yuuki."

Hmmm.

"Oh my god!" Cross shrieked. Haruka and Juri winced.

There was a smoking hole where Cross had been sitting. Zero was going to have to get a new couch cushion.

"The hell was that?" Cross cried, clutching onto the back of one of the armchairs.

Hands at his hips, Haruka whistled, eyebrows raised. "Wow, haven't lost that touch at all. That took, like, a tenth of a second."

Gun in one hand and tea mug in the other, Zero glared murder at Cross. "Haruka, why isn't he dead yet?"

"He signed his life over to us."

...Things were starting to make a little more sense. Did he like it? No.

"The moment he even thinks about laying a fingernail on any one of you, I'm getting rid of him. No ifs, ands, buts, or groaning or moaning."

Delighted at gaining 'approval' Haruka and Juri cheered and patted Cross on the head.

Zero turned back around and slammed his lab door in their faces.

. . .

But Cross Kaien actually turned out to be not that big of a thorn. Zero had bigger ones growing right beside him, and at a fairly rapid pace.

Watching Kaname as he frowned and placed a small hand to his forehead, he felt his hunter instincts stirring once again. Rationally, he could conclude since Kaname was only a child in body, it wouldn't be surprising if his memories as a Founder were to trickle back in, like water through a sieve, as he physically grew older. He did have several theories as to why Kaname's memories were returning this way, but the most straightforward explanation would be that information worth eight thousand years, give or take, was much too stressful for the fragile mind of a babe. It would be hazardous to his mental health to hold onto so much 'data' that Kaname, as a child, probably wouldn't even need. Whether it was an automatic defense mechanism, Zero didn't know, Kaname's past life was returning to him in gradual, measured segments, like tiny droplets of dye dripping into a bucket full of water, slowly but surely changing its color.

"Kaname, don't force it. If you can't hold onto it, it's okay to let it go. It'll come back to you eventually." Zero said softly, placing his hand on Kaname's head as if to soothe his confusion away.

It was only a couple of weeks ago, Zero had noticed on any of this. Kaname would stop, freeze, even, as if he'd just been electrocuted, and blank out for a few seconds to a few minutes, before coming back to himself and looking around as if to confirm his current location. He would continue to look lost after that, and tended to cling to Yuuki and Zero a little tighter, subconsciously or consciously reaching for reassurance.

And after every episode, after another drop of dye, Kaname developed one more layer, one more secret, between himself and the rest of the world. Zero never asked what he saw, what he felt, within those memories, and Kaname had yet to say a word. Until he did, and even if he didn't, Zero supposed the next best thing was to make sure he knew he wasn't alone.

"Sometimes...sometimes, I almost forget where I am," Kaname whispered, his hand trembling.

Kneeling down to look at him eye to eye, Zero kept his voice at a tone he knew would put Kaname at ease. "Then you know what to do. Think of Haruka and Juri, who would do anything to make you smile, including implementing the most inane ideas, and Yuuki, who's going to turn out just like them."

Kaname seemed to give the advice some thought before slowly nodding. "...And you? Would you let me think of you as well? Your sweets always make me smile."

Seeing Kaname begin to regain his composure, Zero felt the tension in his shoulders becoming loose, and nodded. "Do as you like."

"Thank you Zero."

"No need," Zero said, and was about to return to his experiments, when he realized that little itch hadn't receded. Lips pursing, he snuck a glance at Kaname, who was now wandering his labs again, gazing at his bookshelves, and knew it wasn't directly related to Kaname, but most likely involved him regardless.

Knowing, as purebloods, just about anything was possible, Zero figured he could at least ensure he could reach them should something ever happen. Haruka and Juri would never comply with having him help them, but Kaname might be different. Still vulnerable with the transition of his memories, he might be more open to Zero's offer. He wouldn't place his family at risk if there was an option to save them, just to prevent Zero from becoming involved.

Slipping the keys from around his neck, Zero swiftly opened one of the higher compartments in his shelves, and pulled out two small amulets connected to a thin chain. One for Kaname, and another for Yuuki.

Beckoning the child over with a wave of his hand, he showed him the amulets. "Keep this with you at all times. I'll always know where you are. If you ever need me, just say so." And I'll be there.

"Zero?"

"Just have it with you."

"...Okay." Kaname picked the pale, lavender amulet and held it up. "Can you please put it on for me?"

Zero wordlessly secured the chain around Kaname's neck and placed the amulet under his shirt. "The other is for Yuuki. You can give it to her once you get home."

"Thank you Zero."

"It should also protect you from a fair amount of negative influences," Zero added. "And it does lessen the effect of anti-vampire venom, but it's not fool proof, so don't place all of your eggs in one basket."

No vampire would ever dare to go up against a pureblood in terms of vampiric abilities, but there was always that stray idiot who was just clever enough to be extremely patient.

Small, nearly unnoticeable doses, as the overly dramatic novels tended to say.

"Zero, if you're giving this to us because of Hunter Cross, you should know he would never do anything to make you or my parents angry."

Blinking, Zero looked down at him. "No...He didn't even cross my mind, no pun intended. And I know he has a crush on Juri, probably on Haruka too, now that I think about it, so I know it's not just the 'signing his life over' thing that has him so obedient."

He was actually pretty certain he and Cross just weren't the type to mesh well together, in all honesty. Especially now that he was seeing bits and pieces of who Cross really was under all the bullshit - a man with an overactive imagination that ran in spectacularly embarrassing directions. And of course, a lot of it involved Haruka and Juri. Just remembering any of it gave him hives and a strong wish to bury himself in a hole thousands of miles under the earth's surface, never to breathe fresh air again.

Besides, anyone that developed crushes on Juri and/or Haruka usually needed psychiatric help of some sort. There was simply no way a mentally sound living organism could ever feel that way for pureblood vampires who were as crazy as those two.

Kaname stared at him. "He likes you too, Zero. He thinks you're a friend."

...Right. He supposed he could admit to Cross being a very tentative acquaintance. Never to be acknowledged in public, obviously.

Probably guessing his train of thought by his expression, Kaname laughed softly. "Poor Hunter Cross. He said you were his one true love after you gave him those cookies."

The man had nearly passed out in pure bliss after a bite of Zero's triple chocolate chip cookies and then proceeded to beg for more after devouring fifteen of them.

Definitely in need of help there. Cross was on a fast track to establishing himself as a grade A creep. "He's an idiot. Don't listen to anything he says." There was no telling what kind of terrible effect his presence would have on Kaname and Yuuki. Zero planned to remind Haruka and Juri to keep Cross away from their kids.

Giggling behind his hands, Kaname nodded. "Yes, Zero."

. . .

**O.M.A.K.E.**

(In which Zero thinks Cross carries a contagious disease)

The day Cross came into the room while Zero was playing babysitter, Zero didn't waste time picking up Kaname (who had been lying comfortably on the rug by the fireplace, reading) and tucking him against his side, as if to hide him away.

"What do you want now?"

"At this very moment? For you to stop treating me like a criminal," Cross said dryly.

"Kaname, go to the labs."

"Zero, I'll be fine. Like you said, Hunter Cross likes my parents too much to ever make them angry," Kaname said calmly. "But if you still prefer, I can wait in the labs."

Zero frowned for a moment before finally admitting, "just stay close." He let Kaname down again. "And you," he turned back to Cross, "if you touch a hair on that kid's head you're getting a bullet between the eyes. A real one."

"Flattered," Cross smiled wryly. "Thank you for your words of wisdom. Much appreciated."

"I try." Zero leaned forward to check if the teapot was still full, and poured the rest into a random mug that happened to be sitting on one of the lamp tables. "What are you here for?"

"I...have a friend that needs your expertise in treating one of his wounds, but he refuses to come here, so I came to see if you could offer any advice on what I should do to help him."

Zero raised a brow. So Cross had a friend? Not to be a jerk, but that came as a surprise. Well. "It's going to cost you."

He could see Cross was gearing up for battle, and before he could open his mouth, added, "I need a brand of lemon curd that's only sold two towns away, and I need it by the end of this week. Give me your word you'll have it delivered to me on time, and I'll see if there's anything to salvage for your friend."

Cross blinked at him, visibly shocked, before letting out a smile of relief and nodding. "Yes, I'll give my word. Would you be able to treat a vampire-induced injury that's also infected and was left alone for up to two days?"

"...I can tell your friend also has a death wish, but yeah, it shouldn't be that bad."

"Is there anything I need to get him?"

Rather than a immediate verbal response, Zero disappeared into his labs before reappearing with a small vial. "Put that on the infected area once a day for four days. He's going to look and feel like a rotting corpse, but make sure he eats solid food three times a day and drinks plenty of water. No tea, juice, coffee, or whatever else. Just water. And for fuck's sake - Kaname, pretend you went deaf the last few seconds - no junk food. Proper food. I know how some human guys eat like a scavenging hyena, but if he doesn't want to die, he needs to eat like a civilized human being."

"Of course, of course! Thank you Healer Kiryuu."

"Don't let the door hit your ass on the way out." And without waiting for Cross to leave, Zero whipped out a bottle of air freshener.

. . .

A/N: Uh, I haven't checked how long it's been, but I guess it's been some time...?

Thanks to all who have been reading and reviewing! Y'all make ma heart sing! May all of your days be filled with Healer Zero serving you tea and sweets and little Kaname plopping himself right next door to enjoy them with you.


	6. The Healer - Zero

The Healer - Zero (Kaname 5 Years 2 Months)

. . .

Every level D vampire had their own story to tell when it came to how or why they were turned. It was like being sent to prison and hearing about the rest of the inmates' life stories on how they ended up with their current lot in life. And while he couldn't say he remembered all the stories he'd heard, Zero could definitely argue most of them happened through less than stellar circumstances or ended that way. The HA's main target lists were made up of level Ds that had gone 'rogue' (another term for batshit crazy) for a reason. It was extremely rare for a level D to be able to live decently - and even if they managed that, it wouldn't last for long. Considering both sides treated them like social cast offs, it was no wonder. They didn't have a place unless someone on either side made one for them. Zero hadn't been any different in that regard. Without his mentor, he would have turned to dust centuries ago.

He was grateful for it now, though back then, no one would have believed he could ever feel that way. There were days he'd wondered why his parents couldn't have simply left him to die if being turned into what he hunted was the outcome of getting to keep his life. He'd rather his parents not taken the risk. He never said any of it aloud, especially to his parents, but they were thoughts that had at one time resonated strongly within his mind. Whatever the risk or result, his parents had instead placed their hopes on that slight chance he would live. He could respect their feelings behind that decision if anything. He would probably never fully comprehend the sheer amount of love and courage it must have taken, but perhaps, he tilted his head, the way he felt for Kaname and Yuuki nowadays reflected a little of what they went through.

He had been sixteen when he found out he was no longer just a hunter. He didn't remember the details, but after getting injured by a level B, he ended up with a high fever that lasted for days. His parents had called for the vampire who would later become his mentor, and having decided there was nothing on hand that seemed to work, his mentor had whipped out a shady looking vial that contained even shadier purple liquid. Half out of his mind with the fever at full throttle, he could only vaguely recall his mentor calmly explaining something about the drug to his parents - and then nothing after the drug was poured down his throat. A few days later, the world was welcoming another level D amongst its miserable brethren.

The day he found out must have been one of the few times his parents had ever seen him lose his shit so completely. And he'd then gone onto mope about it for the next few years, generally becoming an eyesore. He had been sixteen, a hunter, and well, sixteen, so a lot of people had come him some slack. The rest just stayed out of his way and sent him distrustful, disgusted looks. That last bit was pure torture on his angsty soul that was not only going through dreaded teenage hormones, but a literal identity crisis. It would have been a sweet relief if his only form of identity crisis was the stereotypical 'why am I here? what is my purpose in life? why do I exist?' everyone experienced at least once or twice.

His parents sticking to his side, whether he wanted them to or not, helped immensely, of course, but the nonchalant attitude of his mentor had also greatly added much needed normality and comfort to his ravaged self-worth. The biggest factor was how unapologetic he was to Zero's new circumstance.

_"I'm a Healer. I keep people alive for a living, and you're still alive. I don't regret a thing."_

It had also felt like someone had told him turning into a vampire hadn't been 'wrong'. While it certainly wasn't expected or 'right', that didn't make the entire thing something to feel sorry about.

That, and his mentor was genuinely interested in how the drug had affected Zero's body and how it absorbed the ingredients, which was a nice distraction from his mood swings. He would poke and prod and come up with unbelievable theories, then tested them, and then go through the same process all over again should the results be unsatisfactory. His explanation at the end of it all had been very unscientific.

_"Your body is fucking weird. That's what it is. And it likes fucking with my mind."_

His parents, especially his father, had gotten a good laugh out of that.

There just wasn't a lot of time available to mope or sulk in a corner while his mentor was around. He was always coming up with one thing or another, eyes wide and bushy tailed, rattling off incomprehensible equations and chemical compositions. If he wanted to test something, Zero became his first choice. Whatever objections Zero had to any of his suggestions were stonewalled with:

_"It's for science!"_

He was also the reason Zero learned to bake and bake well. Every now and then, he would prattle on about his utmost gratitude to being born as a vampire if only so that his sugar and fat consumption could be near limitless. He loved baked goods more than he did blood. Besides, sugar is one of form of energy fuel, he would argue, to absolutely no one. But even when Zero's baking experiments didn't turn out so well, he always ate everything, not even a stray crumb left to sit on the plate, an extremely satisfied smile taking up half of his face.

It was around that time, just as Zero was starting to settle into his new routine, with his Healer now somewhat of his mentor, that he met the Kuran siblings. All three of them. Supposedly, his mentor was very reluctant to introduce Zero to them since they tended to 'steal his things'.

_"You know, the joy of taking something someone enjoys or treasures just because you can? It's annoying, but they're purebloods. It's like they can't help themselves. They _have_ to be assholes or they're left with an uncontrollable itch that has no cure other than bringing death and destruction to an unassuming victim."_

It's who they are, his mentor shrugged. And as if in proof of those words, Zero himself saw, little by little, how accurate they were. Without all the bias and in-built dislike marring his views, their behavior almost brought on a morbid sense of fascination. In the case with Haruka and Juri, it wasn't deliberate or out of malicious intent - they simply took things, whether materialistic or conceptual, without so much as a by your leave - and acted like it was on the same level as greeting a guest with a smile and a 'Hello, how are you?'

It was bizarre and really messed up.

But back to his first impression of them. Regardless of his mentor introducing him with, "He's Zero, my first and only assistant. Stay away from him, and we can continue to benefit greatly from each other," they had swarmed around him and stared at him as if they were meeting a new species of animal they'd never seen or heard of. They (more Haruka and Juri, really) also had no concept of personal space, and reached out without hesitation to pat his face, hair, and body until his mentor, creeped out by their level of curiosity, pulled Zero back into a safe distance, a disturbed look to his eyes.

_"Seriously, what the fuck did I just say?"_ He had turned to the oldest of them, who showed the least amount of interest, and barked, _"Rido, how many times have I told you, you need to take yourself and these two nutjobs to a specialist?"_

In conclusion, Zero's first impression of them was that they were kind of unhinged, and very obviously so, and no one had disagreed. That opinion still held firm and true, and had never wavered since.

His mentor had been so, so glad to find he could bitch about them to someone who _understood_. After Zero unwittingly got to know them better, they bitched to each other over tea and cookies.

All the same, it was hard to keep them away, and even harder to hold pure dislike for them, so Zero pretty much ended up in a similar position to his mentor when it came to the Kuran siblings. He hated that he liked them, but there was no denying he did care about them. It was a sad revelation, and he and his mentor had drank to it like the world was ending when he'd admitted it out loud. Fifteen bottles of wine, ten bottles of various types of hard liquor, and fifty shots of tequila were sacrificed that night. That wasn't counting the number of beer kegs they'd laid to waste. Both of them had never regretted being a vampire more than they did that night. It took a devastating amount of alcohol to get a little tipsy, much less drunk.

_"They're like a fungus. A cancerous disease."_ His mentor had groaned out.

His parents had been sympathetic and tried to cheer him up, however unsuccessfully, by pointing out, "Well, you can handle anything after this. I'm sure there's nothing that could top this on your list of unfortunate events." And that included turning into a vampire.

_Life goes on_, as the saying went.

. . .

Pouring himself a cup of tea, Zero sighed and absently ran a hand through Kaname's downy soft hair. Currently using his right thigh as a pillow, Kaname was dead asleep, his half-eaten muffin lying on the table.

The kid was turning into a die-hard sweets lover that could give his mentor a run for his money. Zero felt not an ounce of guilt over this. Thankfully, Kaname was a pureblood, and there was no need to worry about his health or the threat of a sugar high, so often seen in children, who already had enough energy as it was.

Just having recently turned five years old a few months ago, Zero vaguely marveled at the passage of time. If someone had told him at sixteen, that he would turn into a vampire via a freaky purple drug, study to be a Healer as well as a hunter, and then become familiar enough with a family of pureblood vampires to be saddled with the title of babysitter for their next generation, he would have shot them in the face, punched their gut, and then thrown them into the nearest mental institution, no remorse given.

"Insane..." It was one way of summing up his life.

Kaname had taken to visiting a few times a week, mostly due to his exhausting adjustment to his memories as the Founder. Haruka and Juri had no qualms about sending him to Zero, admitting they felt more secure with knowing Kaname was with someone they trusted, rather than having him walk blindly throughout the manor, quiet and despondent.

Even Zero could see Kaname seemed to fair better at his place, the strained look to his face easing and the painful amount of tension slowly draining off.

Sometimes he would be in a talkative mood, informing Zero about the daily ongoing of his life, the other vampire children he spent time with, how cute Yuuki was, how ridiculous Haruka and Juri were, and ultimately about how cute Yuuki was.

Zero usually just sat around or worked in his labs, letting Kaname's stories wash over him, subconsciously keen on listening to his tone of voice and body language. Kaname tended to go unnaturally still when uncomfortable or physically ill. His voice would take on an airy quality, as if to show he wasn't quite there, before trailing off completely. That was when Zero would stop whatever he was working on, pick the boy up, and either lay him down or carry him around the house in his arms, gently patting his back, until he fell asleep.

"I think he just needs a lot of rest and to know he's safe," Juri had once mentioned, a forlorn tilt to her brows. "It's hard for him to have either of that at the manor. It gets a little easier when he's with Yuuki, but he can't spend all of his time with her."

"He's constantly on his guard," She had murmured.

And for good reason. There was something fishy going on behind the scenes for both the HA and the council. Well, that was their default, but things were starting to gradually knit together, becoming more organized. Now, there was a figurehead involved, a team or an entity that was giving out direction, a common goal, an ideal.

They were gathering their 'collection', a group of followers or minions to do their bidding, making promises, exchanging favors, probably blackmailing some unwitting candidates along the way.

It was also largely none of Zero's business, and he intended it to stay that way. It might be a wee bit difficult, considering his close ties with the Kuran line, but he'd managed to keep his nose out of their mess for the last few centuries, he would simply have to muster a little more effort.

He felt Kaname's head shift underneath his palm, and looked down to find half-lidded wine red eyes peering up at him. "Zero..?"

"Hey, you dork," he smiled softly. "You didn't finish your muffin."

Kaname blinked at a snail's pace, humming, before tucking his face into Zero's middle and mumbling out, "Please save it for later."

"So demanding," Zero said lightly, but his fingers never stopped combing through Kaname's hair, soothing away the headache that was probably no longer there.

. . .

**O.M.A.K.E.**

When Zero entered his rooms, running a hand through his hair and scrubbing at his tired eyes, he found a familiar stranger lounging by his coffee table, legs crossed. Beyond the stylish glasses (probably fake lenses) and voluminous unkempt hair that grew out like an overgrown bush, Zero could sort of make out who must be...

"Kaoru?"

"Zero, I found new additions to the shelves." His mentor had a few of Kaname's albums on the table, sipping from a mug.

"...I see that."

"They're very cute additions. I'm going to assume, and assume correctly, you've gained another fungus in your life."

"Two, actually, but yeah, you're correct. Hurrah."

His mentor laughed. "What a fine party this place has turned into." He cheerily tapped his forefinger against the side of the mug.

"I know."

There was a moment of silence.

"Have you given them the amulets yet?"

Zero nodded.

"And Rido?"

"You already knew he was on another dimension of batshit than Haruka or Juri." When his mentor only continued to stare, Zero sighed and informed, "He killed their firstborn for a Founder."

Groaning out a series of phrases in different languages that were no doubt less than complimentary, his mentor sagged on the couch, sliding down until his chin touched his collar bone. He placed his mug on his chest and covered his face with his free hand.

"What a fucking dick," He finally grumbled from behind his fingers.

"What's new," Zero said flatly.

Letting out a wry smile, his mentor shrugged. "Nothing, apparently." His smile faded and was replaced with a contemplative frown. "We'll just be here to pick up the pieces after all's said and done," he said quietly.

"And if they're starting a war?" Zero raised a brow.

"Then we'll be the super special awesome tag team Healers and save a shit ton of lives. Win over a few thousand more favors that way and go on as we've always done."

Healers took the side of the wounded, that was all.

"You want me to stick around?" His mentor asked. "I'll trust your judgment on that."

Giving it a brief moment of thought, Zero shook his head. "No, you can still dally off to wherever you fancy for another few years. Come back in maybe three. Rido's been stewing in his head for some time. Now that Kaname's regaining his memories, he'll try to take him back while his mind is vulnerable."

"And that's in about three years?"

"If he wanted the best results, it should have been now, but he's probably not ready."

His mentor scoffed. "Planning ahead was never his forte."

"Three years, and Kaname will be a completely different person," Zero agreed.

"Good different?"

Zero smirked. "You'll have to see." That would depend on the HA and the council and how far they were willing to push.

. . .

A/N: Another little one-shot. That's Zero's side of things. Might add a little more detail as to the main cause of Zero's turning along the way, bits and pieces here and there, but the really vague lazy version is this. Tada. Of course, Kaoru is an OC. Major apologies there everyone.

Thanks so, so much to all of you who've been reading this series! May your days and dreams be filled with Haruka and Juri's shenanigans that all inevitably involve Zero, though usually not by choice, to bring more smiles and amusement.


	7. The Healer - Rido

The Healer - Rido (Kaname 6 Years 6 Months)

. . .

Zero was out and about town, having just finished a quick shopping trip, when he felt a familiar vampire coming at him rapid speed. Tilting his head to take a moment to wonder how he should tackle this one, he decided why not, and headed into the nearest cafe.

Placing his bags on the floor, he took a seat by the corner, also close to the windows. It didn't take long for the seat across from him to be occupied.

"What is it, Rido?" He asked, grateful he'd only gone out to buy dry ingredients. Who knew how long this would take?

"What are you doing to him?" Was Rido's opening question.

...Apparently Zero's delightful seatmate wasn't really up to making any sense. There was a bout of confused silence before, "You want to give a little background on that?"

Looking as if he were doing Zero a huge favor, Rido ground out, "I know he's been visiting you nearly every time it happens."

Visit? That one word lit the proverbial bulb and Zero could have smacked himself - Rido's objective should have been obvious from the get go.

"Nothing," Zero said. "I'm not doing anything." How that impression was ever made, he had no idea.

"You must have given him _something_."

Zero laughed softly. "Then you're an idiot." Not that he didn't already know that.

"He's stabilizing faster than I ever assumed he would." Poor pureblood, so frustrated.

"Then whatever it is, he's doing something right," Zero shrugged, "but it's not related to me."

Rido sent him a glare. "I'll know if you were actually doing something to aid him."

Zero snorted. "No you wouldn't. That's why you're here now - because you have no idea what I've been doing."

Rido's glare didn't lessen. "_How_ is it his mind and memories are stabilizing so quickly?"

Zero raised a brow. "I'm no expert on founders, but I'm guessing it's not something you'll ever understand." Kaname had Haruka, Juri, and Yuuki. That was why. The reason behind the 'how' was very simple. But then again, Rido could be a blind mule sometimes. Well. All the time. He tended to overthink things that didn't need the attention and underthink things that shouldn't be discarded so easily.

Kaoru once likened him to a hamster spinning its wheel all day, getting absolutely nowhere, and Zero didn't disagree.

"Stop being a NEET and do something more productive with your spare time than harass Healers while they're grocery shopping." He made to get up from his seat.

"He will betray you."

"He might," Zero shrugged again.

"And you'll let him?"

Exasperated, he held in a sigh, picking up his groceries. "Maybe, maybe not. But you're probably wrong. I don't know why you're asking questions you know the answers to."

Kaname was too much of a softie to ever betray someone, much less someone he held a certain amount of affection for. If Kaname were to betray anyone, it would be himself, and the only person who would truly be hurt in that situation would also be Kaname. Everyone else's pain would just be collateral damage. Neither Zero or his family would want to see him hurt, even if the main cause was himself.

Rido's face suddenly melted to a frown. It could have been from Zero not reacting like he wished him to, or being told his opinions were meaningless, Zero didn't care to confirm either way.

"I can see why you're interested in him, but he's not as intriguing as you're making him out to be," Zero threw him a pointed look over his shoulder.

It would only be to Rido's benefit to have him at least reconsider whether Kaname was as useful as he thought him to be. The major sticking point to that concept was, 'if Kaname liked him' and he didn't. Not an iota. The boy would move mountains if his loved ones _hinted _at wanting it, but he wouldn't lift a finger if someone he didn't care for was on fire and screaming for mercy. The only other option would be to brainwash him, but that was slowly becoming moot with every patch of memory Kaname was incorporating successfully into his mind.

And while Rido didn't care enough about Zero to like or dislike him (and so there was no gain or loss to coming to him for help), the fact that he'd approached him with wild theories regarding Kaname's adjustment showed he was grasping at straws. If he really wanted to know what the cause was, the first on his list should have been Haruka and Juri (though Rido couldn't reach out to them for obvious reasons - like signing his death warrant and hashing up old, unhealed wounds).

Though, if anything, Zero was more worried about Haruka and Juri should they meet Rido again in person. He was well aware how family-oriented they were. Despite how much of an asshole Rido displayed himself to be, he was still their older brother who they grew up with under the same roof. Considering the death of Ayumu, they might not go so easy on him, but Zero doubted they could ever truly cut him off or disown him. A tragedy for sure, but it wasn't Zero's place to tell them how they should handle their own brother. They hated what Rido did, but they didn't hate Rido himself.

As of now, their feelings went along the lines of: 'You're a shit brother, but we still love you. _Deep, deep, deep_ down.'

Glancing down at his wrist watch, he estimated calling Haruka and Juri in a couple of hours to tell them about Rido sniffing around. They were most likely meeting other humans at this time to plan out their vampire-human school idea, and wouldn't be back as of yet. Also, since Zero had admitted to taking no part in Kaname's adjustment, Rido might head elsewhere for information, though he wasn't as worried about the outcome of that venture. Short of asking another pureblood for help (which Rido would never do even with a hunter weapon held at his head) there was nearly nothing he could scrounge from an outside source.

Hopefully Rido would see there was nothing to gain from having Kaname under his thumb and simply leave the child alone. Yuuki, on the other hand... Zero's face tightened. Once Rido found there was another child available to fuck with, he wouldn't miss the opportunity to aim directly for her throat.

Yuuki was currently the youngest, purest vampire to date. Kaname, if he hadn't regained his memories, would be good competition, but the additional life experience those memories gave him only left him purity of blood, much like Haruka and Juri. What made Yuuki's blood so 'pure' wasn't just based on her lineage as a Kuran, but her actual age. She was unblemished through her ignorance, her power left with no real direction, and that made it so terribly easy to mold. It was literally the equivalent to taking candy from a baby.

If Rido killed her and consumed her power for his own, he would never have to consider Yuuki's own thoughts that might sway the strength of her blood. He could overwhelm her essential character and unsolidified morals with the advantages that came with his age and experience to use her blood however he liked.

The last resort to prevent anything of the sort would be to turn her human, but Haruka and Juri knew Zero would never agree to that, the risks were too great, and they had better consider his views on it if they didn't want their asses kicked six ways to Sunday.

Regretting not punching Rido in the face at least once, Zero went up to the counter to order a cup of coffee. No matter how short of a time he'd been at the cafe, he did not want to be 'that guy'.

"Get me one too."

Zero's brow twitched. He was still here? "You are not fucking making me pay for your fucking coffee."

"Hey, you're the self-employed adult here. What did you call me not just a second ago? Oh right, a NEET."

"I see. Would this NEET also be inclined to having a few bullets shot into his gut? We can be creative and have one through the eye. And since this is such a special occasion, let's make those anti-vampire bullets," Zero suggested in a monotone.

"How mean. Making fun of me for having no money."

"What a tough society. Must be hard." Fucking liar. Rido was living off of family funds. Even if he didn't, he could whore himself out like the best of them. And enjoy every moment.

"Zero, it's a cup of coffee."

"Exactly. You can just bat your eyelashes at a few people and get yourself a cup. I don't know why you're making this harder on yourself by asking me."

Rido huffed a laugh and shook his head, as if Zero was being the unreasonable one. "You seem to be under a slight misconception. I don't just want coffee. I want coffee from you."

"Right." Because he just couldn't get enough of annoying the hell out of him. Born an ass, always an ass.

The barista at the register smiled at him. "What can I get you?"

Giving her a nod, he glanced briefly at their menu and ordered, "Two regular coffees, one small, one large, extra sugar and cream for the small one and just black for the large." Shooting her his best bright smile, he added, "Really, go wild on the sugar for the small one. This dick behind me has a huge sweet tooth."

The barista blinked once, twice, and then laughed and chirped, "Sure! Coming right up!"

"Zero..."

"You wanted a coffee, you're getting one."

"...You're being a petty bitch."

Zero smirked. "You're the last person I want to hear that from."

Any sweet tooth Rido could've had, had been hijacked by Haruka and Juri. They couldn't get enough of baked desserts and sugar, but Rido couldn't stand them. He tended to give desserts the middle finger. So of course, he took his coffee black.

"I'm taking your coffee."

Zero sent him a derisive smile. "Go ahead. But I know you won't."

Rido narrowed his eyes.

"Your objective is to annoy me. Taking my coffee wouldn't do anything. I can just buy another one."

Rido's eyes went half-mast, as if to say, 'Seriously?' and he sighed heavily. "Yes, yes, you've derailed my master plan." He clapped slowly, managing to make it sound sarcastic. "Well, whatever. I can still brag to Haruka and Juri you bought me coffee. You've never done that for them. They're going to be so jealous."

Incredulous, Zero stared at him for a moment (those words wouldn't be out of place from a villain in a children's book - for _three-year-olds_), before coming to the conclusion trying to decipher the actions and thoughts of Kurans everywhere was a useless endeavor, and blandly thanked the barista who brought out their order.

Turning to Rido to hand him his overly sweetened drink, he gave his most friendly farewell, "Enjoy your coffee, asshole. Go die in a fire."

Seeing Rido's face twitch, he made sure to smile blandly before firmly closing the café door on him. He at least got to leave with the last word.

. . .

"Who were you with?" Kaname asked the moment Zero walked past the threshold. His face was scrunched in a rare show of confusion and disdain.

"You-know-who," Zero drawled, heading straight for the kitchen.

His suspicions confirmed, Kaname followed after him. His brows were knitted in a heavy frown. "Why? Did he come to see you?" It was as though he wanted reassurance Zero hadn't met Rido by choice.

"I sat down for two minutes and told him to mind his own business."

"...He was standing awfully close," Kaname mumbled, not entirely convinced with Zero's answer.

Zero shrugged. "Well, we did stand in line to get a cup of coffee." He didn't dare mention the fact that he bought a cup for Rido.

"I would prefer he be on the other side of the globe, buried to the core of the earth, never to see the moon."

"Right," Zero said dryly. Kaname seemed to get more cynical by the day.

"By the way, I hope you know better than to point out you can tell who's been with who to other vampires." He tacked on.

However sensitive regular vampires, even level Bs, were with their five senses compared to humans, their sense of smell wasn't so accurate it could trace lingering scents specific to an individual or object. Within the vampire animal kingdom, only the purebloods held such a strong nose.

Humans would think it somewhat creepy, but vampires just saw it as a breach of etiquette if a pureblood blurted something like that aloud. Although, then again, as most purebloods worked on a, "you'll _take_ it and _like_ it," sort of mentality, that kind of courtesy might as well not exist. That wasn't even factoring in their terrible sense of humor - outing someone's dirty little secret would simply be another form of entertainment.

Zero just became used to it via exposure to Haruka and Juri.

"I suppose I should refrain," Kaname gave a show of thinking it over.

Zero raised a brow.

Smiling sweetly, Kaname tilted his head. "I know, I know. Only be mean when necessary."

Zero nodded in approval. "No need to go out of your way to be a dick. That's also a fast track to becoming You-know-who."

Kaname's tone took on a playful quality, "and god forbid should that ever happen."

"Hey, just saying," Zero said. "Be picky, and you won't have to worry about as many level Bs plotting to snuff the life out of you." He sent a smirk over his shoulder. "It's also cost efficient."

Let nobody ever call him impractical.

"Yes, yes, ever the wise one," Kaname said lightly, but fell silent afterward, his eyes looking contemplatively down at his folded hands.

In all honesty, both of them knew that hope was a lost cause, not as long as Kaname's memories continued to return. But they also knew wallowing over the inevitable wouldn't change a thing. Having lived for so long, there was almost no guarantee Kaname's mind would be filled with unicorns and rainbows once he regained everything. From merely a 'potential for evil' standpoint, it was more likely that Kaname would rate much higher than Rido ever could.

While Zero could never be fully certain which way Kaname might roll, he knew he wouldn't be able to stand and watch the shit hit the fan should the worst come to pass. If his mentor had taught him anything, it was that accepting things as they were and still forging ahead was a lot more productive than sitting on his thumbs or wetting his pillow with self-pity.

'He goes over the deep end, and he's done.'

Zero took a few minutes to finish up the rest of his groceries and turned to the fridge. "There's some left over earl grey ice cream if you're up for that."

He knew the topic of his memories, especially concerning any effects they had on his present circumstances, was generally a tender spot. And any mention of Rido was a quick trigger.

Visibly glad for the subject change, Kaname's face brightened. "Yes please." He pulled out two small bowls and spoons and sat down at the table.

Watching Zero scoop the ice cream out, Kaname's expression sobered again and he murmured, like a man confessing his crimes out of an unbearable amount of guilt, "you know they will force you to choose. The moment our parents came to you, they already had war in mind, and they knew you would be their best asset if they managed to gain your loyalty."

_And they used Yuuki and I to get exactly what they wanted._ It was very heavily implied.

Keeping his face blank, (there was a strong impulse to throw his hands up in the air and beg for divine protection) Zero handed Kaname his share and returned to scooping out his own portion. He was more than aware how much of a biological anomaly he was, but at the bottom of it all, that was all he was - a strange glitch in the system. If Haruka and Juri thought he would be a solid asset, that was fine, but that didn't mean Zero held the same opinion. If only the most troublesome species in existence could view him the same way he viewed himself.

It had started out with Kaoru, then Haruka, Juri, and Rido, and the few times he'd been dragged into meeting other purebloods, there had been similar reactions. Apparently he was just that weird.

He didn't care to know why, but more often than not, he tended to get the 'useful tool' label slapped to his forehead.

It was nothing to rejoice over.

"Your confusion over this is amusing, but also very vexing," Kaname rested a hand under his chin. "You genuinely don't understand how valuable you are."

"I would apologize for being a dunce, but I wouldn't mean it, first of all, and second, I know exactly how valuable I am," Zero said calmly. Once upon a time, he would have been mortally offended at possibly being viewed as some sort of commodity, but as his timeline would prove, he experience with vampires far outweighed those with humans, and he had developed the unfortunate skill of decoding their condescending word choices. "It's just that my measurements of value or worth are different from the rest of you."

Kaname pouted. "Well, that's vexing."

Zero hummed absently in agreement, placing the ice cream back in the freezer. "Such is life. A mix of vexing opinions. Whatever shall we do."

Catching onto his very obvious sarcasm, Kaname's pout deepened.

"You're the only person I know who can make us feel this way."

Eyes glinting, Zero took a bite of his ice cream. It was a good reward for his (surprisingly) pleasant, satisfying day. "I try." He was able to indulge in one of his favorite past times: ruffling the feathers of purebloods.

"And Kaname, you've got enough on your plate, don't add me on there," he sent the boy a sharp look, "I can take care of myself. If they think they can sway me onto either side, let them think that for a few more years." Haruka and Juri, Rido, the council, or the HA, it didn't matter. Zero worked on his own clock and he planned to keep it that way. "I'm a Healer and a hunter. I'll do what I feel is within my own laws."

"What of manipulation? I know you care for Yuuki and I. Should we be threatened..." Kaname started.

"That wouldn't be manipulating, really," Zero tilted his head. "And it's still my decision to go and save the both of you."

No one in this current generation would be stupid enough to pull that on him anyhow. There were very few vampires who hadn't heard of his achievements as a hunter. He would be the first to admit he could hold a grudge, and ten out ten would claim Zero on a vengeance spree was anything but pretty.

Kaname might have picked up a few rumors, but even with his maturity, there was only so much he could piece together, and he had never seen how ruthless Zero could be at his worst moments. As the saying went, seeing and hearing were two different things.

"Worry about yourself and Yuuki," he emphasized. "Kaoru and I will deal with Haruka and Juri." Those two were definitely going to need an extra kick up the ass when the time came. Offing Rido wouldn't be easy, but it wasn't impossible.

Kaname sent him a tired glare. "I never know what action you'll take and you're hardly one to tell me. Having to accommodate for your unpredictability is truly vexing."

Zero reached across the table to ruffle his hair. Seriously, what a satisfying day.

. . .

O.M.A.K.E.

(In which Haruka and Juri find out)

"Zero!"

"Zero!"

"Sorry Zero, they wouldn't listen."

"What?" Zero demanded, irritated. He took off the goggles he was using for his experiments and turned around.

"You...you bought _him _coffee!" Haruka cried.

"Coffee!" Juri repeated, somehow under the impression Zero needed the redundancy.

"Oh my god," Zero muttered. Kaname patted his pant leg and looked up at him with eyes full of sympathy. A good kid, however unhelpful.

"How _could_ you?" Haruka sniffled, tearful.

"How could you buy him something first, out of any of us!" Juri added. "Not including you, sweetheart, I just mean us," she made sure to whisper to Kaname. Zero had bought Kaname numerous things over the years, besides.

"His face! When he told us!" Haruka growled, crossing his arms.

"Like he owned the entire world!" Juri nodded, also crossing her arms in a show of unity.

"You're all idiots. I don't have time for this."

"Zero! You have to buy us coffee too!"

"And not a small one, like Rido, but a large one!"

Placing both hands on his work table, Zero took a long, deep breath, and let it back out. He spent the next few seconds developing more than a few homicidal fantasies.

"Zero..." Kaname looked on worriedly.

Zero sent him a tight smile. "You don't need to apologize for them. They're the idiots, not you." He patted the boy's head. "I can't believe they haven't realized how many things I've gotten them already. Where do they think all the ingredients for the snacks they stuff down their throats come from? Thin air? A magical garden that shits out endless supplies?" He said. Very pointedly. "Because I'm pretty sure they're all coming out of my wallet when I go to buy. Them. From. The store."

Kaname's eyes were slowly growing wider as Zero continued to speak, and once he was done, blinked twice before turning to his parents. "Yes...Mother and Father are being silly," he whispered.

From his tone, it sounded more like, 'Fear for your lives. You've awakened the beast.'

"Um, Zero..."

"Still in the mood for a large coffee?" Zero asked pleasantly.

Haruka and Juri quickly shook their heads.

"Good. Kaname, why don't we make some cupcakes? You can take some home to Yuuki."

"Zero...?" Haruka called.

"And make sure neither of those idiots touch any of it. They're just for you and Yuuki."

"No!" Juri wailed. "Not the cupcakes!"

Haruka was speechless, already out cold on the floor.

Kaname stared down at them, eyes full of pity.

"I would love to make cupcakes with you, Zero." That was under no question.

"Kaname...!" Juri looked...terribly betrayed.

. . .

A/N: Ah, it's been a while. For anyone who's kept up, huge, huge thanks and lots and lots of love! May you be blessed with Zero and Kaname bonding moments and Zero poking fun at pretty much everyone. (Since he gets to do that, like, _never_ in canon. It's always the other way around. Very sad.)

Always, thanks so, so much for reviews that have been left for this story. Y'all make ma heart sing! That is also under no question. Please take some of Zero's ice cream and enjoy sweet, cool days whether you're on the sweltering part of the globe or on the chillier side.


End file.
